This week, the same mail brought me two letters. The first was from a
parishioner asking me why my brother priests and I are not speaking out
about those in public life who do not defend life but are instead
“pro-choice” regarding abortion on demand. The second, critical of
Church leadership on a number of issues, ended by wondering that the
Church would try to “influence the election” by threatening to
“excommunicate Catholics” who want to vote for Mr. Obama.

All too often — and once is too often — the Church is accused of
being a “single issue” faith community concerning public issues. A
glance at the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
as well as the U.S. bishops’ statement, Forming Consciences for Faithful
Citizenship, puts that lie to rest. So let’s all agree that the Church
and Church leadership are not guilty of being single issue.

What the Church does teach is the truth that the first and foremost
issue is that of human life. It is the central issue of human living,
and it is the most important measure of a healthy society. How we treat
all human life, but especially vulnerable human life whether in the womb
or at the last moments of earthly life, does determine whether or not we
will have the moral vision to guide the choices we make in our families
and communities, in our nation and the world.

We, United States bishops, address many issues, but we insist as the
teachers of the Church that the priority task of every Catholic is to
form one’s conscience correctly by attending to the teaching of the
Church as an integral and necessary component in a well informed
conscience. The Church teaches that “human life is sacred.” Following
the clear teaching of Pope John Paul II, the U.S. bishops echoed his
teaching saying that “abortion and euthanasia have become preeminent
threats to human life and dignity because they directly attack life
itself, the most fundamental good and the condition of all others.
Abortion, the deliberate killing of a human being before birth, is never
morally acceptable and must always be opposed.”

The platform of the Democratic Party for this election year was
adopted at the first day of the convention in Denver. Here is how it
reads on this issue: “The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally
supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal
abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all
efforts to undermine that right. The Democratic Party also strongly
supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive
age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed
choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care
and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and
thereby reduce the need for abortions. The Democratic Party also
strongly supports a woman’s decision to have a child by ensuring access
to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care,
parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.”

The day before, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was interviewed on Meet
the Press by Mr. Tom Brokaw on this issue. She responded as a Catholic
defending the unequivocally pro-abortion position of her party. As a
Catholic she said she had studied the issue and then suggested that the
doctors of the Church have not been able to make the definition that
life begins at conception and then suggesting that it is only in the
past 50 years or so that the teaching of the Church has stated that
human life begins at conception. She adds, “And Senator — St. Augustine
said three months. We don’t know. The point is it shouldn’t have an
impact on the woman’s right to choose.”

Within 24 hours, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops through
Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the USCCB Pro-Life
Committee, with Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, chairman of the
Doctrine Committee, issued a statement refuting Ms. Pelosi’s incorrect
statements about Church teaching. They said “procured abortion” is a
“grave … moral evil … the Church’s moral teaching never justified or
permitted abortion at any stage of development.” Archbishop Donald Wuerl
of Washington and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver each added their
own comments reinforcing the constant and unambiguous teaching of the
Church on abortion, a teaching that is morally binding on the
consciences of all Catholics. Such teaching has been constant in the
Church because it corresponds to an undeniable and indisputable fact:
the direct procuring of an abortion is the destruction of innocent human
life. While the Church as early as the Didache of the first century has
always maintained this, it is a truth that binds not just Catholics. It
binds any and everyone whose conscience has been informed by right
reason. Only if you can justify the direct killing of innocent human
life — and how that can be done is beyond my ability to understand — can
you even countenance the evil of the abortion of the innocent child in
the womb.

My aim is not in any way to discredit anyone. Speaker Pelosi,
however, objectively misstated the Catholic Church’s teaching and
claimed as fact things that are not. I am sure she is a fine person and
I know she is a woman of talent. The platform of the Democratic Party
stands or falls on its own words, although it has eliminated the word
“rare” as one of their goals about abortion and it continues to
propagate the false idea that more contraception leads to fewer
abortions. The fact is exactly the opposite, as Pope Paul VI correctly
foresaw.

May I close by urging one and all to read the U.S. bishops’
statement, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. In addition, I
am happy to inform you that on Sunday, September 28, the diocese is
sponsoring an afternoon on this document to be held from noon to 4 p.m.
at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, West Islip. Bishop Lori
will be the keynote speaker. It promises to be a stimulating and
informative day for all who can participate.

From The Long Island Catholic, newspaper for the Diocese of
Rockville Centre, 8/27/08